TAR UC's continuous emphasis on learning through understanding of theories and real-life application of knowledge has helped the students build solid grounding in their areas of study and eventually win in the industry competitions they participate. Four TAR UC students clearly demonstrated this when they participated in the HSBC Malaysia Business Case Competition 2016 and emerged as 3rd Runner-up. The team won a total cash prize of RM5,000 and a trophy in this annual, invitation-only competition where a total of 24 teams from 14 higher learning institutions took part in the competition's final leg which was held on 10 May 2016.
The four students are Zoe Ding Ze Fen, Khoo Mun Chun and Goh Hui Xiang who are students of the Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) and Hor Mun Yi who is a Bachelor of Business (Hons) in International Business student. As the team leader of the group, Zoe Ding Ze Fen felt privileged to have led her team to achieve success in the competition. "The case studies that were presented to us were very complicated and challenging. Nevertheless, we did not give up and we had a strategy to answer the questions. We broke the case study questions into smaller parts and this enabled us to tackle the questions step by step. Doing so taught me a lot about leadership and coordinating skills and enhanced my ability to be a team player as well," she explained.
Meanwhile, Khoo Mun Chun attributed the team's success to the dedicated guidance of their lecturer and the extensive preparations the team did before the competition. "We were constantly guided by our lecturer, Mr Johan Lim in preparation for this competition. Besides providing us many reading materials, he also taught us on specific areas to focus on and shared tips on how to answer the questions. As we also wanted to improve our answering techniques, we attempted many previous case study questions which we obtained from the organiser and TAR UC library," Mun Chun elaborated.
As to what they have learnt from this competition, Goh Hui Xiang said: "The case studies very much represent the actual business problems that financial consultants need to solve. They tested us on the application of theories that we have learnt in our course to tackle each business problem effectively. Besides this, the competition also gives us insights on what to expect when we join the workforce especially in the financial consulting field. It is a good exposure for me having participated in this competition as the demand on us to produce various financial solutions has broadened my view and now, I am able to look at a business problem from different perspectives".
